


A New Beginning

by ezekiels



Series: Arthur's Maidservant [19]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-25
Updated: 2013-02-25
Packaged: 2017-12-03 13:43:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/698879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ezekiels/pseuds/ezekiels
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gwen fears Arthur will not understand why she cannot be his Queen. THE CONCLUSION OF THE SERIES.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A New Beginning

After all that Morgana and Merlin had gone through, they were finally free. Gwen could not help but watch as the two stood wrapped in each other’s arms as the sky lit up with their magic. It was a beautiful sight yet Gwen could not help but be envious about the bliss her friends felt.

The rise of Arthur to the throne now that Uther was too ill rule meant the world to so many. For Gwen, it just meant that there was yet another barrier between her and Arthur.

“I never realized they could so that,” Arthur commented absently, watching as conjured dragons chased each other across the sky.

“Neither did I,” Gwen said, watching the dragons explode into brilliant lights when they collided. Farther down the battlement, Gwen heard Morgana and Merlin laugh.

Arthur cleared his throat. “Things have been so hectic lately that I haven’t had the chance to thank you for what you did,” he said.

Gwen glanced up at him. The sight of Arthur, all golden hair and blue eyes, used to fill her with so much joy. Things were different now. The crown sitting on top of his head only reminded her that she could never be with him. He was her master and she would forever be his servant, nothing more.

“It was nothing, sire,” Gwen said. “Anyone else would have done the same.”

Arthur touched the sling cradling her broken arm gently. “None the less…”

“I did have a shield,” Gwen reminded him. “I was perfectly safe.”

Arthur smiled down at her, shaking his head in disbelief. “You, Guinevere, are stubborn to the very end.” He moved his hand from her sling to her face, brushing his fingertips gently along her cheek. “It’s one of the many things I love about you.”

Gwen tensed, glanced at the ten or so guards they shared the battlements with. The guards all had their eyes politely averted but she knew very well that they were listening carefully.

“Sire?” Gwen asked, glancing back at Arthur.

Arthur laughed lightly. “All of these years and you still can’t guess?”

Gwen took a nervous step back. “You’re talking in riddles, sire.”

“I love you,” Arthur said, stepping closer to her. “I have for all these years and I know you love me too. You told me once, remember?”

“You promised you would forget it,” Gwen whispered.

“How could I ever forget that?” Arthur asked, stroking her cheek so gently that Gwen could not help but close her eyes and lean into his touch. “It was one of the happiest moments of my life.”

“We were being chased by bandits,” Gwen reminded him without opening her eyes.

Arthur chuckled. “None the less,” he said. “When you said those words, I thought that everything would change but when you asked me to forget you had ever said them … It broke my heart to agree but I could never deny anything you asked of me. I was too in love to do anything but agree.”

Gwen opened her eyes. “Arthur, you’re talking as if you’re under a spell.”

“For the first time in my life, I’m not,” Arthur said. “The love I felt for Sophia and the Lady Vivian… It is nothing compared to what I feel for you. With you, I would not simply proclaim my feelings for the court to hear. I would tell all of Albion.”

“Do you really mean it?” Gwen asked.

“Yes,” Arthur said.

Then Arthur did something completely unexpected. He went down on one knee and took one of her hands in his. “And I want the whole kingdom to know it,” he said.

Gwen stared down at him, stunned. She had to be imagining it. He couldn’t possibly…

“Guinevere, will you marry me?” Arthur asked.

Gwen took a sharp step back, pulling her hand from Arthur’s. “Arthur… I…” She turned sharply away from him and looked out onto the town below. “I cannot be your Queen.”

“Yes, you can,” Arthur said, getting quickly to his feet. “Gwen, I’m king. If I want to marry a servant, I can. We can be together now, don’t you see?”

“It’s not that,” Gwen said, letting her eyes drift up towards the starry night sky. Lights were exploding in the sky once more, showering all of Camelot in different colours: blue, green, yellow, and red. It was so festive compared to what she felt: desperate for Arthur to understand something that he couldn't possibly understand. “I do love you. I have for all of these years. If you weren't king, I would say yes in a heartbeat.”

“But?” Arthur asked.

Gwen took a deep breath and placed her hands on the cold stone of the battlements. The cold sharpened her mind, allowing her to continue. “I have no desire to be queen, Arthur,” she said. “I want to marry you, not your kingdom, and that is exactly what marriage to you would mean. I’m not ready to be Queen.”

She felt his eyes on her for a long moment. Her heart hammered inside of her chest and she hoped for the impossible: for him to understand. 

Arthur looked away from her and out onto his kingdom. “Will you ever be ready?”

“I don’t know,” Gwen said. “Maybe one day.”

Arthur placed one his hands on top of hers. “I can wait,” he said.

Gwen looked down at his hand on hers. It felt so right there, so warm and gentle. She could not help but raise her eyes slowly from his hand, up his arm, and finally to his face. The promise in his eyes took her breath away.

Arthur touched her cheek gently. “I would wait forever for you, Guinevere.”

Without another word, Arthur leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. It wasn't their first kiss but it held so much more power than their first. This kiss was desperate and pleading, needing the other to understand, and they did understand. Completely.

“It’s a beautiful ending, don’t you think?” Morgause asked.

Gwen broke the kiss with a gasp, turning to see that Morgause stood at her side. Morgause did not look at her but her smirk said it all: she had seen and heard everything.

“No, not an ending,” Arthur said, slipping his hand into Gwen’s. She looked up at him and he smiled. “It is only the beginning.”

**

THE END

**


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